Digimon: Love Shuffle
by YABAIxx
Summary: AU; "No, I'm not in," Taichi pouted. He folded his arms. At this moment, he was twenty-four but he looked as though he was twenty years younger. "I'm not joining. Why do you guys all think my engagement is over? It's not."
1. Moon River

**Disclaimer**: As with all fanfiction, none of this belongs to me.

**Game 001**; Moon River.

The skies above Japan rumbled with an angry whisper as the wind picked up its running pace. The skies grew darker as the cars below rushed to find their normal parking spaces. The rumbling of the skies were muffled by the sound of cans hitting the ground.

A red car pulled onto the side of the road. A red haired young woman stepped out of the vehicle. Her heels clicked as she walked to the back of her car. She pressed her right hand to her hip as she picked up her cellular phone with her left hand, "This was you again, wasn't it? The cans on the back of my car? I know it was you."

The stylishly dressed woman kicked at the cans. She frowned as she heard silence on the other end of the phone. "Is this your way of telling me that you had a dream of us going away on a honeymoon? We broke off awhile ago. There's a law against stalking, you know. Hey, say something." The red haired woman glared into the sky, "Hello? Hello?"

Frustration spread as the dial tone grew louder.

"Well, same to you," The woman kicked the cans once more as she released a sigh of frustration.

* * *

"You're kidding," The voice of a brunette with voluminous hair cried out as he leaned back into the booth of the restaurant. His ruby eyes searched the face in front of him for an answer-None was found. "But, everything was going well the other night, remember? We even went karaoke and ever-"

"I'm sorry."

"Wait, wait," For once, the brunette wasn't focused on the food in front of him, "This is so sudden, why would you-"

"I'm sorry."

"Stop saying sorry and let me know why you would even-"

"I'm sorry."

The brunette leaned back in his chair, "But it, this-," He retrieved a small box from his jacket pocket, "-It finished yesterday, it's the one we picked out together."

He gently opened the box. The diamond on the ring picked up the light from the restaurant. It was well cut and clearly expensive-the ones that girls would dream about being able to wear and show off to their friends with a smug smile and say, 'Oh, it's no big deal. He wanted to get some bigger, but I told him that this was fine.'

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

* * *

"You want to go out to eat?" A soft melodious voice sighed out. The blonde haired man sat in his car. He ran his fingers through his hair, "Ah, I'm sorry but I have work early in the morning."

The blonde turned off his engine as he listened to the voice on the other end of the line, "Even if you tell me to activate all of my energy, I have a feeling that you're going to suck it all out of me in the end. No, it's not that," The blonde stepped out of his car and walked to the trunk. He pulled out the heavy bag of music and slung it over his shoulder, "I have-"

He frowned as the dial tone took over the conversation.

His blue eyes glared at the phone in his hand, "Damn. I told you, I'm tired."

The blonde shook his head as he locked the doors to his car. He walked towards the interior of the housing structure he lived in. A sleek, stylish building where one would find those labeled wealthy. As he walked towards the 'resident only' side, he passed by a red-haired woman pulling at a bundle of tacky cans attached to her car. He held back a snicker as he continued walking.

The sound of footsteps were echoing behind him. With a quick glance back, he saw another person walking at slower pace than himself. A brunette wearing not only a suit but a look of sadness across his eyes. The blonde nodded as he watched the red haired woman from before walk in the same direction.

He wandered inside of the buliding. "Ah, excuse me!" He shouted out as as the elevator doors slowly closed. The blue-haired man in the elevator nodded and held the elevator open as the blonde entered. He was quickly followed by the brunette and the red-haired woman.

"What floor?" The blue-haired man asked.

The blonde peered over at the floor that had been already pressed - '28'. He smirked, "That one's fine."

The brunette took a look and nodded, "Same."

The woman followed suit, "That's good."

The blue-haired man hummed an agreement.

Silence spread as the elevator's gears began to move. The elevator car housing the four moved upward in its usual slow motion speed. Each of the ones inside remained silent as the sound of rain hit the window outside.

"Say it isn't so," the brunette sighed.

A clap of thunder hit the skies causing the red-haired woman to cry out as the elevator slowed to a halt. She quickly rushed to the window, "Oh, no."

"Is it a power failure?" The blue-haired man asked as he adjusted his glasses.

The view of the city down below was fearful. The lights within the city began to fade slowly. It was a strange sight-the lights of the flickering off and slowly flickering back on. As the woman and the blue-haired man looked outside, the lights in the elevator shut off and flickered back on slowly.

The blue-haired man pulled out his cellular phone and attempted to make a call. The blonde slid down the side of the elevator and sat on the floor. He fumbled through his bag for a flashlight just in case the lights dim down again.

"I can't get any signal here," the blue haired man sighed. A look of frantic panic spread in his eyes as he dropped his phone in his pocket. He looked back outside the window, "It's okay, it's okay. I think the power's coming back around."

"It's only around this area," the red haired woman said, "So, it must have been that lightning from before."

"I'm sure it'll be fixed soon," the taller blue haired man smiled at her.

"Even if it doesn't come back," The brunette said as he leaned against the wall opposite of where the blonde now sat. He watched as the blonde continue to fiddle with the objects in his back, "There'll be a rescue team on its way to find us."

"You're right," A smile spread on the woman's face.

"You think so," the blonde's voice called the attention of the three to him. He took his scarf off and he looked back at the three, "There's a theory that Tokyo won't fuction well in times of emergency. If there was a big earthquake, it's said that the area inside of Highway 7 will be completely destroyed with no means of returning it back to normal."

"Stop scaring us in situations like this," the red haired woman scowled at the blonde. "This isn't the time do such a thing."

The blonde rolled his eyes at the woman.

"Say," the brunette smiled, "Why don't we introduce ourselves? I mean, it's rare to meet the other people on the same floor as you, right?"

"Might as well," the blue-haired man nodded.

"You're right, we have nothing better do anyway," the woman smiled, "And besides, it'll help me out if you're the type of perverts to murder the only woman on the floor."

The brunette pulled a small business card case from his pocket. He fished out three business cards and passed them around to each of the people in the elevator. The writing on the business card was classily written.

"Taichi Yagami, Sub-Division Head of the Ninomiya Law Offices," the blue haired man read outloud. "Oh, you're so young and you're already the Sub-Division head of a law office. You're what people would call an 'elite', right?"

"Oh no, not even," Taichi shook his head at the compliment as he took a business card from the woman. His eyes read over the words written in a faint red, "Sora Takenouchi, M.M. Magazine fashion coordinator!"

Taichi looked at Sora, "You're the coordinator for that magazine?"

"Amazing," the blue haired man smiled, "I don't really read magazines and even I know what that is."

"Thank you," Sora smiled, "I tend to do more than just coordinate but that's my official title for the company. The new issue comes out soon, by the way. Please be sure to pick up the copy for your loved ones."

"Ah," the blonde frowned, "I ran out of business cards, so I hope you don't mind my introduction this way." He stuck his hand out to shake each of their hands, "I am Yamato Ishida. I am the -"

"Music and lyricist for company 'B-Vex'. You've written so many songs," Taichi proclaimed. His hands moved as he spoke, "Like, 'I'm only dreaming, dreaming ...'"

"Yeah, that would be me." Yamato smirked, "I guess, I didn't need an introduction anyway."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the attentioned turned to the blue hair man. Sora, Taichi and Yamato watched as he searched his pockets for his business cards. He took out three neatly written ones and handed them to the others, "I am Jyou Kido. I work as a doctor at the Sakurai Medical Clinic."

"Ohhh," Yamato nodded, "The one where Rin-chan works, right?"

"Yes, she's our head nurse. You know her?"

Yamato smirked as a memory flashed across his eyes. He held a soft chuckle, "Yeah, you could say that I kno-"

The sound of thunder clashed loudly again.

"Ouch," Taichi muttered as he hit the floor. He looked up at where Sora stood above him, "Why'd you punch me?"

"Reflex," Sora bowed slightly, "I hate thunder and lightning. I'm sorry."

"Normally, girls would hug someone and not punch them. Isn't that how it is?" Taichi sat up from where he fell.

Sora rolled her eyes, "They're just pretending to be cute. My reaction is real."

Jyou picked up the box that fell be Taichi's feet. That small velvet box, he examined it slowly before handing it towards Taichi, "Is this yours?"

"Ah," Taichi quickly grabbed it from Jyou's hands. He opened the box-the ring was still there. Slightly misplaced, but the ring was still in tact-similar to that love that he shared. He delicately move the ring back into its holding place. "Sorry about that."

"Are you getting married?" Jyou asked with a curious smile.

"Ah," Yamato called out from where he stood. He pushed his hands into his pocket and leaned against the cool wall of the elevator. His voice was dry but he still said, "Congratulations."

"Hey, what type of woman is your girlfriend?" Sora walked over the where Taichi sat. She squatted down with her purse on her lap as she continued to question him. "How did you meet her? How did you know you were in love?"

Taichi shifted uncomfortably.

Sora frowned and stood, "Ah, never mind. I just thought that in this sort of situation that we're in, a happy story like yours might be nice."

"We would love to hear about it, right?" Jyou asked with bright eyes. Anything to lift the mood of their current situation would be better. It would help him get his mind of the constant panic rising in the back of his head. Yamato rolled his eyes as he shift his balance-he could care less about marriage.

Sora nodded, "Come on, share your happiness."

"I'm telling you, it's not happy!" Taichi pouted as he crossed his arms, "Not happy at all."

Sora squatted down next to Taichi again. She shoved him slightly, "Look, I understand you're embarrassed, but this is rude to your girlfriend."

"But somehow, I understand your feelings," Yamato called out. He looked at them with a look sympathy, "I mean, they also say that marriage is the grave of life."

Sora shot Yamato an incredulous look as she directed her words to Taichi, "I hate guys who try to play it cool like that."

"Ah, really? Remind me to remember that." Yamato return that incredulous look Sora gave him with one of his own.

"To be exact, it was a happy story until this morning," Taichi pulled his legs to his chest as he put the ring's box on his knees. "Everything was fine until this morning."

"Wait," Sora broke her glare at Yamato and turned her attention to Taichi, "What do you mean?"

"Everything was fine until this morning. Then suddenly, all I could say was 'Say it isn't so ...'," Taichi turned away from the group. He wanted to crawl into a hole and vanish for the rest of eternity.

"Ah," Yamato snapped his fingers, "She broke off the engagement."

Taichi groaned, "Couldn't you find a better way to say that?"

"Seriously?" Yamato stepped closer to the group. Now, he was interested. "Why'd she break it off?"

"She just get kept apologizing, apologizing and apologizing." Taichi frowned.

"C-couldn't have just been the marriage blues?" Jyou looked towards Yamato and Sora for support. "Right?"

"If it's blue than she should be ready to go, right?" Taichi sighed.

Yamato chuckled, "What if she found another man to love?"

"No," Taichi stood up and waved his hands in the air. He glared at Yamato, "She's not that kind of person. She would never do that."

"Ah, but you never know with women, right?" He elbowed Sora as he stood up. He made his way back to where he was standing before Taichi's situation interested him.

"Why are you aiming that at me? Why do you think-," Sora frowned at Yamato and rolled her eyes. She frowned at Taichi's sad figure. "Well, if she's a serious person, then I'm sure she really thought through her decision."

"Serious? So, what were these serious reason?" Taichi ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, "What part of me did she hate? I could change it, right? Right?"

"You're good-looking, you're excelling at your job and you live on the top floor like the rest of us," Jyou rattled off some good qualities that he could see from his observations. He adjusted his glasses as he stood next to Yamato and Sora. The three of the exchange glances as they brainstormed on why Taichi's fiancee broke the engagment.

"He's a pervert, after all." Yamato announced as he crossed his arms.

"You might be right," Sora nodded in agreement.

"I AM NOT A PERVERT!" Taichi stood up, "I'm so nice, it's embarrassing."

"Then your hair cut," Yamato rolled his eyes.

"Or your lack of personality," Sora smiled. "When it comes to marriage, there needs to be more than just appearance."

"Hey, that's just rude now." Taichi pouted.

"We're all thinking of you," Sora gestured to Yamato and Jyou. "All of us are thinking of you."

"Oh, 'cause it looks to me like you guys are just having fun picking on me." Taichi put his hands on his waist and glared at the other three.

"Maybe she doesn't like your childish behavior," Sora glared back at Taichi.

"You know what," Taichi took a step towards Sora. His eyes were daggers against hers.

"Guys, guys," Jyou walked between them, "Don't fight, it's not good to fight."

"Ah, what about you over there, Doctor? Are you married?" Yamato ran his hand through his hair. He pulled a strand forward and inspected it. His eyes narrowed and he frowned, a split end. Mentally, Yamato blamed the weather. "Well, Doctor?"

"No, I'm single," Jyou folded his arms behind him as he walked to the other side of the elevator. This time, he was the one being interrogated.

"Eh, I thought you would be married already," Sora crossed over to the other side of Yamato and leaned against the wall, "Doctors are popular among women, you know."

"And what about you?" Yamato directed his voice towards Sora. He looked at the stylishly dressed female and smirked. "How are your relationships?"

Sora swatted the topic away with her hand as she backed away from Yamato, "Let's not talk about me."

"You're smart, stylish and beautiful," Jyou announced matter-of-factly. "I'm pretty sure you're popular with the guys."

Sora smiled at the compliment. She looked up at the ceiling, "I wish it were true but hasn't actually worked out well for me."

"Maybe it's because you lack personality," Taichi smiled at Sora with bright eyes. He blinked a few times at her as his smile grew even wider.

"Aren't you persistent?" Sora raised an eyebrow at Taichi. "Maybe there's another reason, huh? I have plenty of personality."

"Then your persistence."

"I'm not actually that persistent," Sora adjusted her purse. "When it doesn't work out, I just say good-bye and keep going. There's nothing more annoying to me than someone clinging tightly to something that isn't there."

"I would do the same," Taichi folded his arms over his chest. He frowned at the ring's box, "Except we were engaged. Now, it also concerngs my parents, her parents and our siblings ... the ceremony hall ... and," he looked at the closed box in front of him, "this ring."

"Well," Jyou patted him on the shoulder. He nodded at Taichi with a smile, "Now you know that nothing is going well for any of us in here."

"Are you trying to cheer me up?" Taichi pouted, "If this is some sort of sympathy? It's not working. Not at all." Taichi slumped up against the wall. He felt the wall's coolness as he slid down.

"Don't whine about it," Yamato glanced at the brunette with annoyance. No man should whine about something like this. "Her feelings for you went away, that's it. Grow a pair and move on."

"You can say that because it doesn't concern you," Taichi pointed an accusing finger at Yamato.

"But why?" Sora looked out the window. Her eyes chased the helicopter flying around the city. She followed the search light it lit down to the streets, "Why do we forget and lose the feeling of loving someone? You love someone, get excited and then break up and forget about them. This happens to married couples too, right?"

"It's just human nature," Yamato stuck his hands into his jacket pocket. He felt the pocket lint as he dug his hands deeper, "Do you really think love can exist between man and woman in the first place? We meet, get horny and then get tired of each other and that's it, isn't it?"

"I disagree!" Taichi shook his head at Yamato. "There are some couples who are always happy!"

"I think," Jyou said as he readjusted his glasses. He pushed them up with his index finger, "That more than the love itself, it's the chemsitry that's important. Love changes easily. To prevent this process, there needs to be good chemistry between the partners."

"Plus," Yamato moved his index finger as spoke, "You need good physical chemistry between partners."

Jyou blushed a shade of red. "W-w-we have a lady here!" He gestured over to Sora. He paused and looked at her, "Are you alright?"

Sora squatted down in the corner. Her purse hit the floor as her arms wrapped around herself. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"Come to think about it," Jyou walked over to Sora, "You don't look so well. It looks as though your temperature has dropped a few levels."

"No, I'm fine." Sora's nervous laughter filled the air as she hugged herself tighter. All eyes were on her and she could feel the weight of their glazes piling up.  
"Oh no!" Taichi patted Sora on the back, "You're pregnant, right?"

"Do you really want to die that badly?" Sora glared at Taichi.

"I'm just worried about you and thinking about your sake."

Sora snorted, "Oh really, it seems to me that you're just having fun."

"Well," Yamato's hands gripped the railing along the side of the elevator. A smirk crawled on his lips as he eyed each member of the elevator. "We've been locked in here for awhile. Here, you are in a room with three men you've never met, the power's out and no one knows the elevator is stuck."

"N-n-no, Yamato!" Jyou waved Yamato's last comment aside. That was really too much, Jyou could never imagine that happening. "Are you sick? Oh, are you cold?"

"No, I got it!" Taichi smacked Yamato's shoulder as he proclaimed his joy. He started snickering only to recieve a look of annoyance from Yamato, "She needs to take a piss."

"I will sue you for sexual harrassment," Sora clenched her fist in Taichi's direction.

"No, actually, I feel like pissing as well," Taichi smiled.

"Whatever you think, I'm still a woman," Sora was starting to feel the pressure. She closed her eyes-if she believe it wasn't there then it wouldn't be there, right? Mind over matter.

"Ah, that's going to be a problem," Jyou walked over to Yamato and Taichi. Concern was looming in his eyes. This was a predicament that they couldn't escape from. This was dealing with a field that he was all too familiar with. "You see, women have a shorter urethra than men do, so they cannot endure ..."

"I'm fine, shut up. I'm fine," Sora rubbed her temples. She wanted to get out now. This was getting to be too much.

"Ah, right, right. Sora," Yamato crossed over to where he left his bag. He dug through the sheets of music and pages of lyrics. He pulled out a stack of paper cups and held them in front of Sora, "I have paper cups."

Sora's eyes narrowed at the stack of paper cups that Yamato was holding. Her eyes moved from the paper cup to the serious expression on Yamato's face, "Are you telling me to do it here? I'd rather die."

"It was just a joke, you know," Yamato stood up and leaned against the wall furthest away from Sora. He fiddled with the paper cups in his hands. Pulling them apart and then restacking them together.

"I can't even laugh about that," Sora huddled herself into the corner. She rubbed her arms-Anything to get her mind off of it. Sora stopped as she noticed that she was the only one making any sound. "Hey, hey. Don't be silent. It's making this even harder for me," Sora laughed nervously.

"Then, shall we sing?" Yamato pointed the paper cups at Taichi.

Taichi took a paper cup, "Actually, give me one. I need to do it. I can't hold it anymore."

Sora turned around, "You're kidding."

"If everyone faces a corner, we'll be fine. No one'll see anything. As for trying not to be heard ... right," Taichi pointed at Yamato, "We'll sing a song. It'll cover the sound."

"That's a stupid idea," Yamato hit his paper cup against Taichi's, "I'm in."

Sora stared at Taichi and then Yamato. Her eyes widened in surprise, "Are you right in the head?"

Yamato ignored her and handed a paper cup to Jyou. "You too?"

"C-c-could you leave me out of this?" Jyou backed up into the wall. He could feel his heart palpitating. His hands were up defensively, "Despite being a doctor, I'm actually very shy about this."

"This is something have to go through together," Taichi took another paper cup from Yamato's hands and handed it to Jyou, "At times like this, harmony and unity are necessary."

"Come on," Yamato squatted down next to Sora. He made her take the paper cup into her hands, "Let's just get through with this. Here."

Sora stared at the paper cup in her hands, "Are you serious? I can't do this, it's-"

"You can't be embarrassed when you give birth!" Taichi told her as he walked over to his corner. He nodded at the other three.

"I told you, I'm not pregnant," Sora cried out.

Taichi turned to his corner, "I'm going to distract myself by singing. You should join in with me. 'Moon River, wider than a mile ...'"

"Ah, that's a good song," Yamato turned to his corner, "'I'm crossing you in style some day.'"

Jyou's glasses fell slightly as he stood there gaping in awe. How could anyone be bold enough to do something like that? ... but he agreed. With a look of pain spread across his face, he turned to his corner, "'Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker."

"You're all crazy," Sora closed her eyes. This was not happening. Why was she in an elevator filled with crazy people? Why was this even happening? She looked at the paper cup in her hand. She frowned, "The noise is fine, but what about the smell? Nooo," she looked at the cup again. She turned to her corner. Her eyes dropped into submission, "Mother, I'm sorry."

As Sora dropped down to finish her business, the elevator's gears started to move. They all turned from their corners and looked at one another with looks of surprise. Sora and Taichi ran to the window. The lights in the city below were slowly flickering on. A look of relief blessed Sora's face.

"We're saved!" She breathed happily. She looked at the three males in front of her and laughed. She punched Taichi's arm slightly, "All of your flies are down."

* * *

**Author's Corner**: Thanks for reading! Please review if you have the chance.


	2. Shuffle

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything, obviously. Let's keep this short and carry on with the chapter.

**Game 002**; Shuffle

Taichi Yagami sat his desk. He stared at his laptop. There was an open file waiting for him to read, but he wasn't reading it. The file was in need of proof-reading before the Ninomiya Law Offices sent it off to their client. Taichi, who was now counting the amount of tiles on the ceiling, was ignoring the file. He even had to bring it home to finish up without pay. That is how much his mind was preoccupied with different problems.

"Big brother," Hikari Yagami knocked lightly on the door of Taichi's personal office. She had arrived for their traditional Thursday dinner. When Taichi gave her no answer, Hikari opened the door. Her ruby eyes watched her brother lean back against his chair, "Taichi."

Hikari's soft voice snapped Taichi away from his staring contest with the ceiling. He looked up at her and forced a smile on, "What's up, Hikari?"

Hikari watched her older brother. That sparkle that usually surrounded him wasn't as visible as it normally was. She wiped her hands on the apron she wore, "Dinner's almost done."

"Really?" Taichi smiled. Food has always been the quickest pick-me-up for anyone with the Yagami genes. "I bet it's good."

"Mhmm," Hikari smiled. Taichi's smile was contagious, but that's what attracted people to him. That's why people wanted to be his friend. She brushed aside a few locks of hair away from her eyes, "There's just one problem."

"What is it?" Taichi closed his laptop as he got to his feet. He walked towards Hikari, "What's wrong?"

Hikari giggled, "There's no clean cups."

Taichi mentally slapped himself for that. He'd been too busy with a few cases here and there to even get around to washing his dishes. The days of being as carefree and playing soccer were put behind him. He walked past Hikari, "Let's see if we can fix that."

The sink was filled with dirty dishes. They were piled up in a messy stack. Each tier had a different meal. Taichi shook his head as he opened up a cupboard in search for something to use a cup. He smirked as he opened the cupboard closest to the refridgerator, "Would paper cups work?"

* * *

"That color won't do," Sora Takenouchi walked around the rack of clothing in front of her. She put her hand on her hip as her eyes moved from the clothing to the model and back again. She frowned. Normally, she would be able to coordinate the shoot's clothing with her eyes shut, but there was something about the model that was throwing her off. "That's not going to work."

A growl formed in the back of throat as she walked around the clothing rack once more. The room was silent except for the sound of Sora's stilettos clicking against the floor. She crossed her legs at the ankles as she stared at the clothing and then the model.

"Tie your hair up," she commanded as she pulled out an elegant outfit. She handed the model a brightly colored shirt with a dark, contrasting bottom. "This should work. Put it on."

The model obeyed Sora's command. Sora watched as the model nervously put on the clothing. Something was still off. Sora grabbed a few accessories and gave it to the model, "Put these on."

A smile of satisfaction and victory appeared, "Perfect. Carry on with the shoot."

Sora walked to the lunch area of the M.M. Magazine studio. She never liked the chairs in the lunch area. They were always too cold and hardly comfortable.

"Thank you for your hard work," She smiled at one of the workers passing her by. A quick bow and a simple smile. A cafeteria worker came by and placed a paper cup in front of her. She ran her fingers down the side of the paper cup.

The attention that was on the paper cup was pulled away as her phone rang. 'Number Withheld' was the id again. Sora frowned.

* * *

"Now," Jyou Kido walked across the hall of the Sakurai Medical Clinic. He held a few folders as he headed to his office. He turned to the young nurses walking a few steps behind him, "Please continue to be careful of the charting. Don't make any mistakes. It's better to be careful than sorry."

Jyou entered his private office. He set down the folders that he had been carrying on top of his desk. He quickly made his way to the sink. It was a routinely handwashing that he did-he turned the sink on long enough to get his hands covered in water, then turned it off as he added the soap. He rubbed his hands together enough for the soap suds to appear then he ran his hands under the water. He hummed the tune of "Moon River" as he washed his hands.

The routinely handwash was quickly finished and he continued humming the song as he dried his hands. A soft knock on the door caught his attention, "Dr. Kido, I've brought your coffee."

"Ah, thank you, Rin-chan." Jyou smiled as he gestured for her to set the coffee on his desk. Jyou almost laughed as he watched Rin set down the paper cups, "Paper cups?"

"The regular coffee cups ran out," Rin smiled at Jyou.

"Oh, okay," Jyou smiled back at Rin. "Thank you, please carry on with what you were doing?"

"Moon river ..."

* * *

"Look, I understand that you're very serious about your work," Yamato Ishida rolled his eyes as the assistant director of B-Vex spoke to him. The man was only a good 4'9" and was considerably bald. He wore thick framed glasses in an attempt to get along with the younger generation. "But the way you criticize Haruki for her lyrics is too harsh. She was crying today, Yamato."

Yamato rolled his eyes as he overlooked the new lyrics he formulated. He tapped the pen against the table as he crossed out a few words and rewrote what he deemed as better lyrics. He ran his fingers through his hair. He hummed the tune of Haruki's song as he read the lyrics.

"I know her lyrics weren't the best," the assistant director continued on as Yamato carried on with ignoring him. He assistant director stood next to where Yamato sat. "Yamato, you know these artists are very sensitive. You were like her once, try to understand."

Yamato stood up and walked around the assistant director. He went to the water cooler and procured a paper cup. He smirked at the paper cup as he pressed the button to fill it with water.

"Suzuki," Yamato took a sip of the water, "I'm just doing my job. Do you or do you not want another hit song?"

"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't we want another hit song?" Suzuki nodded frantically, "It's just that you continually make our artists cr-"

"Then, quit butting in and let me do my job." Yamato hated record labels. He always hated them. This hate fostered back in high school when he had his own band. He knew that record labels would take that creativity he had and warp it into something ugly ... a few years later, and look what that's done to him. "I'll get her to sing a hit song, so back off."

"I know. You always come through, but don't you think you could-"

The door to the room opened slowly. Yamato smirked as he set his paper cup down on the table. In the door frame stood Haruki. Her tears were gone, her make-up was perfect. She even changed into something a little more risque.

"I'm ready to work on that song now," Haruki smiled. A hint of seduction flittering in her eyes.

Suzuki stood befuddled. "Wha-?"

Yamato pushed Suzuki past Haruki. The little old man was very light and hardly formed any resistence, "Now, good bye, Suzuki. We've got work to do." When the door shut and clicked to a lock, Yamato turned around to Haruki. "Let's work on your vocals a bit, shall we?"

* * *

Taichi got back earlier than usual. His workload was much lighter than he expected it to be. He stretched his arms upward. He didn't have work the next day, so he was rushing to get changed. He wanted to spend a few hours with a few friends. Possibly go drinking and probably try to fix things with his fiancee. As he opened his door, he stopped.

Did he see what he thought he saw?

Was that really there?

In the middle of the four apartment floor?

"What are you guys doing?" Taichi walked over to the three surrounding a small coffee table. Sora was sipping her glass of wine quietly-she was in her pajamas. Jyou was complimenting Yamato on the dishes he cooked-he was in his pajamas. Yamato laughed at the compliments-he was in his pajamas. "Why are you here?"

"Pajama party," Sora smiled.

"Cool," Taichi sat down next to Sora. He looked at the dishes. They looked amazing. He put his hand to his stomach. He was hungry, "I think, I'll have som-"

Jyou took the dish away. "Yamato, how long did this one take to cook?"

"About thirty minutes or so," Yamato said as he moved all the dishes away from Taichi. "I cooked most of them simutaneously, so it wasn't too long."

"Guys, I'm hungry." Taichi watched as Yamato and Jyou continued to ignore him. "WHAT? WHY ARE YOU IGNORING ME?"

Sora looked at Taichi. She looked at Yamato and then Jyou. Then back at Taichi. "Pajama party."

"I can see that," Taichi frowned at Sora. He wasn't stupid. He could tell they were having a pajama party. That's why they were all out here, eating food in their paja-he looked down and then up at Sora. "Jerks."

Yamato chuckled as Taichi ran to his apartment. He settled the plates back to their original positioning. "But really, Jyou. What's thing you mentioned?"

Jyou adjusted his glasses. He sipped his wine, "T-to be honest, Yamato, I'm not even sure if I want to do it anymore. It seems too risky. You should never try to do something that could get you in too much tr-"

"I'm here!" Taichi shouted as he returned in his flannel pajamas. He pushed Yamato aside and dug straight in for the food. Food was Taichi's best friend. It always has been and it always will be. "This is good," Taichi said in between bites. "Did you cook this Sora?"

"No," Sora laughed. "I wish I did. Yamato cooked it."

Taichi stopped eating. He stared at Yamato. He stared at Yamato long and hard. "You bought it and plated it."

"No, man. I cooked it. Some people can actually cook their own food instead of having that cute girl you always have come over every week cook it for them." Yamato set his wine glass down.

"Cute girl? What cute girl?" Taichi continued to scarf the food down. "Oh, you mean, Hikari? That's my baby sister. Man, get your eyes checked."

"Now, Jyou," Sora diverted the attention away from Yamato and Taichi. Somehow, she knew it'd lead into a fist fight or something that involved violence. Men, go figure. "What was that thing you were talking about?"

"Yeah, it's something risky." Yamato raised his eyebrows, "I'm interested in that part."

"W-well, Rin-chan and the other nurses were talking about it during one of their breaks and I just happen to overhear it. I-I-I wasn't trying to eavesdrop or anything either. That's a very disrespectful action but you know, it was difficult not to overhear them. They were speaking so loudly, you know and sometimes there are those things that you can-"

"Okay, we get it." Yamato waved his hands in the air. His patience wasn't exactly the kind that could last very long. "Now, go on. Explain what the thing is."

"Love Shuffle," Jyou took his glasses off and cleaned them as he spoke.

"Love Shuffle?" The trio in front of Jyou said in unison. They also had matching puzzled expressions on.

"Yes, Love Shuffle ... though," He placed his glasses back on, "They were referring to it as 'LoveSha'."

"Okay, we get it has different names. Now, be kind and explain it," Yamato leaned back. He stretched his arms upward as he leaned back. "I'm curious as to what is."

"Well, it's a Shuffle of Love." Taichi muttered, "Self-explanatory, duh."

"How about I reshuffle that fa-" Yamato was stopped by Sora who jumped up at Jyou, "Shuffle of Love? Is it like that?"

"Well, according to the girls, you really do Shuffle the love." Jyou looked up as he folded his arms, "What Rin-chan mentioned was it was eight of them, four couples, who did this. They used four Queens and four Jacks. Basically, they each picked a card and that was their partner for the week."

"So, partner swapping?" Yamato smirked.

"Yes and no. Rin-chan said they did this to test if they were still truly in love with the person they were with."

"And the results?"

"Much more interesting than you'd expect." Jyou nodded as he spoke. He picked up his cup of wine and twisted it between in his fingers. "None of them stayed together. They found someone else to love within the group. It's been a year since they did it and they're all perfectly content."

"And you're suggesting we do this because?" Taichi frowned. Even though he and his fiancee were on the rocks right now, they would get back together eventually. He'd patch everything up and it'd be perfect.

"I'm in." Yamato chimed in. "It seems like fun. God knows I've been getting bored with some of the ladies I've entertained lately."

"Me too," Sora nodded as she took another sip of wine. "I just got off a horrible relationship. This seems like fun."

"No, I'm not in," Taichi pouted. He folded his arms. At this moment, he was twenty-four but he looked as though he was twenty years younger. "I'm not joining. Why do you guys all think my engagement is over? It's not."

"Then bring her into the Shuffle," Sora tried to persuade Taichi. "Maybe if she dates other guys, she'll find out that you're the perfect one for her."

"Well ..." Taichi continued to pout.

Yamato rolled his eyes, "Unless you're scared you can't make her fall in love with you again."

"I can make her fall in love with me no problem," Taichi glared at Yamato.

"Then it's settled," Yamato agreed for everyone else, "That's at least five of us in for the shuffle. Oh, can you bring your sister into the shuffle too?"

"Why?"

"She's cute and I love to get to know her," Yamato smiled.

"I-I-I think you should," Jyou stared at the table, "We're going to need other members for this. If your sister is in, we'll still need one more guy and two more girls."

"Mhmm," Yamato smirked, "Since Taichi seems like a popular guy, let's have him figure out the rest of the members for this game. I think, that's a fabulous idea."

"Me too," Sora agreed. "You seem like a popular guy with lots of friends. You should do it for us, Taichi."

"Thank you," Jyou bowed.

"I ... What?"

* * *

**Author's Corner:** Hey, guys. It's me. Thank you for reading the previous chapter and thank you for reading this one too! It's appreciated, I promise. Also thank you to those that left a review for me. That is also appreciated greatly. Much to love all of you.

To answer the question about whether or not this will be a collection of one shots or a multi-chapter fic, it's going to be a multi-chapter fic. Mhmm. So, please bare with me. The first couple of chapters are setting up for the Love Shuffle game. Forgive me if they're a bit slow. Also, I was in the middle of planning a fake tour for the Teen-Age Wolves in the Digitumblr RP, so it's taking me awhile ... but I digress.

Anyway, thank you for reading! Please review if you have the time.


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